You see, since I was young, I have suffered from a burning chest when doing aerobic exercise. I was not diagnosed with Asthma until I was about 36 or 37 years of age, yet I had suffered from it since childhood. Various medical screens I had received over the years missed it because they were not full blown tests. (Excuse the pun). The British Army medical tests ‘missed’ it too because I was not required to submit to a full medical as part of the Reserve and when I did attend for a full medical, I was quickly eliminated on the basis of being too deaf. Likewise with my attempt to join the French Foreign Legion (Légion étrangère).

As usual, yesterday I got the burning chest after doing some skipping, however a friend phoned while I was recovering. My friend happens to be a Surgeon and noticed the Asthmatic wheeze and cough. When he heard what had brought it about and I described my symptoms, he told me that I was suffering from exercise induced Asthma. He further explained that with exercised induced asthma the body produces inflammatories and that there are drugs available to help with the condition, naming one of them.

My friend’s medical/surgical specialty has nothing to do with lungs, asthma etc, yet he told me what no one else has ever done. I am very grateful. Until yesterday I had never even heard of exercise induced Asthma, that it is caused by the body producing inflammatories or that there are specific drugs to treat the condition. I keep an ordinary Asthma puffer in the fridge for occasional use, though the Asthma symptoms (general and exercise related) have been receding in recent times. This puffer is nothing special, just a run of the mill Asthma treatment.

I am shocked that the Doctors I have seen over the years (those who were told about/aware of the Asthma) have never mentioned what my Surgeon friend told me; despite my commenting on the exercise aspect to many of them. I doubt that this exercise related condition has only recently been discovered, so am disappointed to realize the apparent shortcomings of these other Doctors. It raises all sorts of questions across the board and undermines confidence in the quality of medical care one receives. My friend is a top Surgeon in his field so I am not surprised at his razor sharp mind, however because he is not a General Physician/General Practitioner, dealing with Asthma is not part of his normal day to day activities . My friend told me things, at my age of 47, which I should have heard from other Doctors, probably years ago; assuming it is not a recent discovery about the exercise component of some asthma condition.

I have decided not to seek extra drugs to treat my condition. It does appear to be improving anyway, so I will monitor the situation and try to improve it further without recourse to drugs.

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

More on my exercise program and an unexpected health diagnosis.

Exercise – what is the best method?

When I started skipping (first time I think for about 23 years!) my right knee gave out on the first and second jump – it was like a rusty old gate. The experience was quite sobering – a sense of ‘oldness’ due partly to neglect. On the third jump the knee held and was fine after that.

My lungs started ‘burning’ – due to asthma – though the condition was not as bad as expected. My recovery time was better than predicted too. I have noticed over the last year that the asthma has been improving.

The way the work out was designed was ideal – it really pushed my body in a good way. I feel better afterward too. I will be doing the program every day from now on (though I only have to do it every other day) so as to make faster progress. I actually enjoyed it which was interesting.

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

My right knee was like a rusty old gate

Vertical stripes are more slimming.

Exercise! This is an area of current ‘weakness’ in my life. Excuse the pun! LOL.

Regular readers will know that I am on the Strip That Fat Diet System. More of my articles about weight loss can be found here. One aspect of the is Strip That Fat Diet System balanced exercise.

Readers of my articles on weight loss will know that my exercise options are limited to walking, a bit of cycling and dancing. Due to the excessive heat here during summer on the Gold Coast, in Queensland, Australia (a sub tropical region) and a skin allergy brought on by medication I have not done much in recent months. This situation is unacceptable and my wife has been researching exercise programs with a focus on finding a method which is very balanced and achieves excellent results.

My wife received the information below in subscription newsletters from Dr. Al Sears and has collated some of his material for your reference. You can check out his website here for even more detail about his PACE program.

His theory is logical and makes perfect sense as his, and other studies, have clearly shown. I will be starting the PACE program soon and will keep you updated with my progress. A key aspect is that I can do it inside, in air conditioned comfort. The PACE program is time efficient* (*progress is significant for lower time invested compared to other exercise methods) and unlike other cardiovascular exercise programs; the PACE program strengthens the heart and lungs, which therefore increases their capacity to work more efficiently. For some reason I especially like the ‘time efficient’ aspect! Smile.

I am very impressed with what I have read so far; whilst not being a perfectionist, I do like to use leading methods, products and services in order to achieve a goal.

Beyond Aerobics – Your Native Fat Burner

Back in the late 1960s, Dr. Kenneth Cooper published Aerobics as the “perfect” way to “train” your heart. He thought that medium intensity aerobic exercise practiced three or four times a week was all you needed for heart health.

Today, we know the reality is different. A recent study by Harvard researchers shows that those who do short-duration, high-intensity workouts reduce their risk of heart disease by 100 percent more than those who practice aerobic exercise.^[1]

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed that men and women who exercised at a higher intensity had lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides (blood fat), higher HDL (good cholesterol) and less body fat.^[2]

What’s more, medium intensity does not train your “high-energy output system” – your ability to get extra power fast. And that’s exactly what we’re missing in our modern world.

Forget Aerobics – Discover Your REAL Fat-Burning Zone

A few years ago, a patient of mine – BP – came to me saying that his cardiologist told him to never exceed his “aerobic threshold” when he exercised. But that’s exactly what you need to do. By exceeding your aerobic capacity, you generate real heart and lung strength.

To better understand what your aerobic threshold is, we need to take a closer look at metabolism…

Aerobic means “with oxygen.” So your aerobic metabolism combines oxygen with carbs, fats and proteins to make energy. Because walking is not a strenuous activity, you have plenty of oxygen available to make more and more energy. Using this model, you could walk for hours and not get too tired.

Jogging is a typical aerobic exercise because it can be sustained with oxygen metabolism (aerobic metabolism). But what happens when your body can’t get enough oxygen from aerobic metabolism alone?

To answer that, let’s say you start sprinting. You can’t sustain that high output with oxygen alone. That’s the point at which the anaerobic system starts. This is also known as crossing your aerobic threshold.

Anaerobic means “without oxygen.” This system converts carbs – and some fats – into energy without using any oxygen at all. This will sustain you as you sprint. But obviously, you can’t run at your peak output for very long.

When you pant after the exercise you’ve created an oxygen debt. This occurs when you ask your lungs for more oxygen than they can supply at that moment – like when you’re sprinting.

Understanding when the anaerobic system kicks in is critical. When you’re using your anaerobic system, you are training your high-energy output system.

When this happens, you are successfully building up reserve capacity in your heart, expanding your lung volume, triggering the production of growth hormone and melting away fat.

And all these years, doctors, trainers and fitness “gurus” have been telling you to never cross that aerobic threshold!

But let’s take this a step further…And this is the big misunderstanding that I want to set straight: Aerobic and anaerobic can only be used to describe metabolism. Aerobic and anaerobic shouldn’t be applied to exercise. This is where modern exercise science has steered us in the wrong direction. It’s possible for your cells to make energy without oxygen – but it’s impossible for you to exercise without oxygen.

In essence, there’s no such thing as anaerobic exercise. When you’re sprinting, your body will start its anaerobic metabolism, but you are still breathing – still using oxygen. In fact, when your anaerobic system kicks in, your aerobic system is still functioning.One does not replace the other.

You either go at a rate you can sustain with oxygen or you exceed that rate in which case you use both energy systems.

It’s more appropriate to say that you’ve crossed over into your supra-aerobic zone.

By pushing yourself into your supra-aerobic zone, you’re going to increase your ability to get high energy fast. This strengthens your heart, lungs and muscles.

Melt Away Extra Fat in Just 12 Minutes a Day

Remember…aerobic exercise is low to medium output held for an extended period. Supra-aerobic exercise is high output, but short in duration. Why is this important? For one thing, it restores an element of your native environment.

Our ancestors lived in a world where their food fought back. Predators attacked without notice. They had to run or fight – fast and hard. These short bursts of high-output activity fine tuned our ancient ancestors and kept them fit. We still have the same physiology yet have lost that kind of challenge.

To move your workout into the anaerobic range, the key feature is this: Create an “oxygen debt” as I described earlier. Simply exercise at a pace you can’t sustain for more than a short period. Ask your lungs for more oxygen than they can provide.

The difference between the oxygen you need and the oxygen you get is your oxygen debt. This will cause you to pant and continue to breathe hard even after you’ve stopped the exertion until you replace the oxygen you’re lacking.

Here’s another example: Let’s say you pedal as fast as you can on a bike for 15 seconds. When you stop, you continue to pant. This is the kind of high-output challenge you can’t sustain for very long. You have reached a supra-aerobic zone. This is very different from doing an aerobic workout for 45 minutes.

Let me tell you about a simple study I did on a couple of young women. They are identical twins. One twin followed my PACE program. It’s based on alternating periods of exertion and recovery for about 10 minutes a day. The other followed a traditional aerobic exercise program. I tracked their progress over sixteen weeks.

At the end of the study, the twin doing interval training lost 18 pounds of fat and increased her muscle mass by 8 pounds. The twin doing long bouts of aerobic exercise lost only 7 pounds of fat and actually lost 2 pounds of muscle mass. By the end of the study, the twin using my PACE program had much better muscle tone, and an overall healthier look. The amount of time she spent working out was about one fifth that as the other twin.

My study isn’t the only one that shows aerobic exercise is a dismal failure when it comes to weight loss. Researchers at George Washing University looked closely at how well diet, aerobic exercise, and dieting combined with aerobics work to help you lose weight.

These researchers analyzed 25 years worth of study results to see what is most effective for weight loss. I bet you’ll be surprised at what they found.

People using diet alone to lose weight lost an average of 10.7 pounds. People using both together lost an average of 11 pounds.^[3]That’s right-adding aerobic exercise to a weight loss diet makes hardly any difference at all. It’s no wonder aerobics leave you feeling disappointed and frustrated. It’s just a poor weight loss tool.

Now contrast this to the results of my PACE program from my twin study.

Over 4 months, the “PACE” twin lost over 18 pounds of fat. The “aerobics” twin lost just 7 pounds. And the “aerobics” twin also lost 2 pounds of critical muscle mass. What’s more, the PACE twin’s workouts lasted less than 15 minutes. Her “aerobic” sister sweated for hours.

A Better Way to Lose Weight…Fast!

What works when it comes to weight loss is a different kind of activity.

Researchers from Laval University in Quebec compared long duration cardio exercise with short duration high intensity workouts. For 20 weeks, half the participants did five 45-minute workouts a week at moderate intensity. The other half did 19 high intensity interval workouts (like my PACE program) over the course of 15 weeks.

Although the second group spent less time exercising, and only did half the work as the first group, they increased their aerobic capacity by 30 percent. What’s more, the second group lost nine times as much body fat as the first group.^[4] That’s right…they lost nine times more fat.

So what is PACE? Well first of all, it’s simple, fun, and it’s easy to stick with. PACE stands for Progressively AcceleratedCardiopulmonary Exertion. It’s a way to workout that uses short duration bursts that slowly get stronger as you get more fit.

This is the basis of my PACE® program. I began using most of this program 25 years ago. More recently, I added progressivity to increase the benefits.

By making small changes in the same direction, your workouts can produce remarkable results. And you only need 12 minutes to achieve the desired effect.

In a matter of weeks, you can:

• Lose pounds of belly fat
• Build functional new muscle
• Reverse heart disease
• Build energy reserves available on demand
• Strengthen your immune system
• Reverse many of the changes of aging.

———————————————————————–

1. Lee I., et al. Circulation 2003 Mar 4; 1087 (8): 2220-6.
   
2. Williams P. Relationships of heart disease risk factors to exercise quantity and intensity. Arch Intern Med. 1998; 158:237-245.
   
3. Miller WC, et al. “A meta-analysis of the past 25 years of weight loss research using diet, exercise, and diet plus exercise intervention,” Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1997; 21(10): 941-7
4. “Impact of Exercise Intensity on Body Fatness and Skeletal Muscle Metabolism,” Metabolism 1994; 43(7): 814-18

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

Exercise – what is the best method?

This last month I have lost 100g.

Not terrific in one sense I know, however having a nasty bout of Urticaria did not help; the management of which hindered my diet situation. Examples include: 1) having to eat a big meal before taking steroids, and then more on top,  2) discovering that a key medication I was taking for heartburn was the cause of the Urticaria meant that I had to manage food differently.

On a more positive note; I have not only maintained my lost weight but have dropped slightly. And this is in spite of a drop in exercise due to the Urticaria. This time of year here on the sub tropical Gold Coast is not good for me exercise wise either. This is because I tend to get much of my exercise from walking and cycling and in the hot humid summer we have had this year I have had fewer opportunities to venture out without becoming too hot. Additionally, due to the Urticaria, I have not been able to use sunscreen so as to avoid an extra load for my skin to deal with.

Overall, I am pleased with my progress and am looking forward to increasing exercise now that the Urticaria has virtually gone, and soon the hot, humid weather will be gone.

If you too are in a similar situation with regard to your weight loss progress it is important not to be discouraged. Focus on the positive and if you have ‘excuses’, make sure they are genuine and real. If not, deal with them. Good health dictates that it is important to achieve an optimum weight. Not increasing the problem is of course paramount – from there you can make progress downwards.

In my case then, I am focusing on the positive aspect that I have maintained position with a slight improvement; in spite of difficulties. My focus now is on increasing the rate of progress.

For those who want to see the rest of the articles I have written about this subject; here is the link. (Weight loss).

For more information about the Urticaria please click here.

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

Weight loss update

Whatever works for you, provided of course that it is sensible, legal and doesn’t harm you or others is probably a good bet.

Here is where you can arrange to be nagged once a week about your weight via email. It’s free. They also have a paid text/SMS nagging service.

Over to you:

http://www.weightnags.com/

And if you are someone who finds making a public declaration or pledge helpful in losing weight, but don’t want to go as far as setting up your own blog or website then perhaps http://www.pledgehammer.com/   is for you. Pledge Hammer can be used for other stuff besides losing weight and like Weight Nags, is also free.

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

Want to be nagged about losing weight?

Some of my other indicators are encouraging too, such as my Body Mass Index (BMI) which is now 28.8.

Having an accurate electronic body fat monitor and scale is a great booster when losing weight because you can see even small improvements – such as my 100g today – and get other supporting/encouraging information as well.

You can read about the special monitor/electronic scales I am using on one of my earlier blog posts.

Key tip: when losing weight, use a good quality, accurate, comprehensive body fat monitor and electonic scale. Get encouragement from even small improvements.

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

Quick weight loss progress update.

Yesterday I had to use a special leather punch to create two more notches on my belt. New goals! Eventually I expect that I will have to trim some leather off the end of my belt!

PS: If you are interested in obtaining high quality leather belts check out the article on my other blog here.

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

My healthy weight loss progress.

It may seem really obvious, but an investment in health produces big dividends for individuals, their families and the economy as a whole.

Exercise and healthy eating improve the blood flow within the most vital organ to your success…your brain.

You, like all of us, most likely want more money and more success, but the very first steps should be incorporating exercise and a regular diet into your schedule.

Here is a quick question for you:

Have you ever been at work and eaten a very unhealthy lunch or snack while sitting at your desk (99% of you are answering yes right now, we all do it)?

What follows this snack or meal however, is what I am talking about…

Did you feel, sluggish, lazy, unexcited about work and uninspired? Chances are you did.

On the other hand, if you ate a healthy lunch and went for a walk, you would have come back rejuvenated, thinking in a positive way, and thinking clearly.

Here are a few interesting facts:

(1) People that are fit earn more money

(2) People that are fit get better jobs

(3) People that are healthy typically experience less stress

(4) People that are fit have a more positive outlook on life

So, if you want more money, a better job, less stress and a better outlook on life, you should incorporate a “fitness” and “health” routine in your diet. (And make sure you get sufficient sleep).

Strip That Fat, the world famous guide and diet plan generator system will help you incorporate both healthy eating and healthy living into your life.

====> Strip That Fat

Fat loss and healthy living is just around the corner. AND, just around that corner is more success!

PS: I use the Strip That Fat diet system too – it is working well for me and here are some of my articles, which include some information about my personal journey to better health and weight loss: Healthy Weight Loss

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

Do fit people earn more money?

I have lost nearly a kg and am starting to get close to going down another belt notch; so it is coming off my waist. I feel better too.

I am so excited about it, and the hope it can give others, that I have put a graph on my website showing my weight loss.

In case anyone is wondering what I am using to measure my progress, it is an electronic scale: Omrom HBF500 Body Composition Monitor with Scale. I bought mine from Amazon in the USA, despite being here in Australia. It was much cheaper, even when shipping was taken into account. (Note: Australian customers cannot normally buy certain electronic items from Amazon and I had to use my US mailing service, who then forwarded the item to me).

Click the banner below to go directly to the Amazon website Health & Personal Care section.

During my research phase (I was determined to obtain a good quality electronic scale) I discovered that the Omron range is particularly good. Here are some interesting links I discovered:

Omron Health Care home page

Body Fat Monitors – Comparison Chart (Omron)

Note: mine is the HBF 500. Western means the non Asian physique. If you are not Asian, then the other non western  monitors on the page will not work properly for you (and vice versa).

Key information about visceral fat (Omron)

Choice Test – Body Fat Scales (Australian consumer magazine)

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

Further progress with my healthy weight loss.

Hey! Great news! My belt has gone down a notch.

My fat stomach is getting smaller!. Hooray. (Says my wife too).

And this is despite implementing only some of the recommendations of the Strip That Fat Diet System so far (lots of reasons; one day at a time).

I feel more healthy too. An added bonus.

That’s all folks.

(Don’t worry – this is not my only post for today – another meatier (excuse the pun!) post will follow later.)

Post from: Personal Development Magic...

My healthy weight loss progress – down a belt notch!